A Wish So Deadly

I’m not a fan of dark woods at night. But Auxin Forest on the outskirts of Stellargrove earns a rare exception.

The soft rustle of leaves and crunch of twigs underfoot create a sound that is oddly comforting, even now as I’m navigating an overgrown footpath through almost complete darkness, with only lumen flowers to light my way to water.

They unfurl all around me, emerging from damp moss-covered crevices to cast a pinkish soft glow on my path, like stars at my feet. I rub one of the petals between my fingers, smiling at the luminescent glow left on my skin.

When Elara and I were little, we used to love using lumen sap to craft designs on each other’s faces and write secret messages under our beds that could only be seen at night.